The Sandbender Tribes are a people indigenous to the Si Wong Desert in the Earth Kingdom, divided into several loosely-organized tribes such as the Hami Tribe.[1] Named for their special style of earthbending that involves bending loose sand instead of solid earth, the tribes have adapted to their hostile and barren homeland by becoming nomads, raiders, and scavengers.[2] They travel across the sand dunes through the use of sand-sailers.[3]

Days later, some sandbenders – among them the thieves that stole Appa – searched for the sand-sailer Appa had caused the sandbenders to lose. This sand-sailer had been recovered by Team Avatar, and at first, the sandbenders accused the team of theft, but Sha-Mo jumped to their defense. Toph recognized the voice of one of the thieves, Ghashiun, and deduced that he stole Appa. At first, Ghashiun denied this charge, but when Toph revealed that he had muzzled the bison, Aang became enraged and entered the Avatar State. Fearful of Aang's rage-induced power, Ghashiun admitted his theft and stated that he traded the bison, who was probably, by that point, in Ba Sing Se. The sandbenders subsequently offered to escort the group out of the desert.[1]

Sometime before 171 AG, a group of sandbenders had surrounded an oasis in the middle of the desert, the only one for a hundred miles. Bumi, who was a commander in the United Forces at the time, along with his platoon had taken notice of these sandbenders as the troops approached the oasis in an attempt to retrieve water, but were not welcomed by the angry tribesmen.[5]

After she left Republic City, Suyin Beifong traveled to the Si Wong Desert and lived among a commune of sandbenders. She left sometime afterward to found the city of Zaofu.[6]

When Avatar Korra and Asami Sato rode their makeshift, metal sand-sailer out of the Si Wong Desert, a group of sandbenders eyed them in wonder before Asami offered to sell the metal vehicle to them.[7]

Culture

Organized into communes[6] that in turn form several tribes,[1] the sandbenders have to cope with a hostile and harsh environment. As a desert people, they developed a sandbending style that enables them to use the sand-sailers which form their primary form of transportation. Due to their living in the sun-drenched Si Wong Desert, skin cancer is a common ailment among the Sandbender Tribes.[2] As result, they are traditionally clad in multiple layers of clothing and use special goggles to protect themselves from the sun.[1]

Since economic opportunities are limited in the desert, sandbenders get by however they can. They are known to scavenge for dead animals and to steal from others,[2] though raiding is believed to be an dishonorable action. Despite the scarce resources, the Sandbender Tribes are not above offering hospitality to people wronged by their fellow tribesmen.[1]

The sandbenders maintain contacts with both the beetle-headed merchants and the Earth Kingdom settlers around the desert, especially those living at the Misty Palms Oasis.[3][6] While the traveling merchants are all too ready to buy the booty which sandbender raiders have stolen,[4] the tribes' relationship with those from outside the desert is strained and ambiguous, as they are often not well received by outsiders due to their poor reputation as thieves and bandits.[2] Nevertheless, they are also capable of accepting outsiders into their communes and tribes.[6]